Home / REGIONS / Americas / Airbus has a $260 million wide-body jet that it just can’t sell

Airbus has a $260 million wide-body jet that it just can’t sell

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Thomas Pallini 

Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800neo — Dubai Airshow 2021
A Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800neo.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
  • Airbus has only sold 15 of its A330-800neo aircraft, the next-generation variant of the popular A330-200.
  • Uganda Airlines, Air Greenland, Kuwait Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia are the only four airlines to purchase the aircraft.
  • One expert says that airlines don’t want to pay for a smaller plane compared to the larger A330-900neo since the two have comparable per-seat costs.
Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800neo — Dubai Airshow 2021
A Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800neo.
Thomas Pallini/Insider

As of October 2021, more than 20,000 orders have been placed for Airbus aircraft. The European aircraft manufacturers’ wide-body planes, specifically, can be found flying all over the world and are the backbone of numerous global airlines.

Airbus A350-900 XWB at Dubai Airshow
An Airbus A350-900 XWB at Dubai Airshow.
Thomas Pallini/Insider

Source: Airbus

But one aircraft just hasn’t resonated with customers, the A330-800neo. Only 15 aircraft have been sold as of October 2021 since the A330neo program launched in 2014 to counter the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800neo — Dubai Airshow 2021
A Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800neo.
Thomas Pallini/Insider

Source: Airbus

Airbus designed the aircraft to be a more efficient version of the A330-200 as part of an upgrade for the popular A330 family of aircraft. The A330-200, a commercial success, earned 662 orders over its life and 598 of the 647 aircraft that were delivered to customers are still flying.

Airbus A330-200
An Airbus A330-200.
aviation images.com/Universal Images Group/Getty

Source: Airbus

Creative Commons License Geostrategic Media | 2024 | جيوستراتيجيك ميديا